Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Great Khan, urgent dispatch from Yunnan! Our army has captured Mengyang City and is advancing towards other parts of Mengyang." It was late at night, and in the Qianqing Palace of Weidu, the Lotus Great Khan, who was fast asleep with Consort An in his arms, was disturbed by an urgent military report. There was no way around it; "Upon receiving an urgent dispatch, no matter when, where, or what I am doing, you must inform me immediately," this was the rule he had set, and no one dared to disobey.

The Great Khan frowned, pushed aside his sleeping concubine, and rose from his bed to review the military reports. After reading them, he chuckled. Burma, supposedly a regional hegemon, had proven utterly ineffective. He had only deployed tens of thousands of troops, yet they had routed them, even losing key military strongholds like Mong Peng and Meng Yang! Hmm, no, while Burma's national strength had declined, it wasn't to the point of being utterly vulnerable. The main reason for this defeat was Alatan Cang's feint. The Burmese army would certainly retaliate; they had already besieged Mong Peng and would undoubtedly launch a counterattack on Meng Yang. The army deployed to Burma numbered only about 50,000, half of whom were poorly trained local soldiers—too few in number. No, reinforcements were necessary!

In this war god's mind, Mengyang was a springboard for attacking India, far more strategically important than Mongka. As for Mongka, the forces besieged by the Burmese army were merely private troops of local chieftains affiliated with the Great Wei, not worth considering for reinforcement. In fact, even without Burma's retaliation, he would have sent reinforcements to Mengyang. From beginning to end, the war with Burma was merely a smokescreen to mislead India. His target was far more than Burma; it was Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor who dared to challenge his authority and was known as the "World Conqueror." India's national strength far surpassed Burma's; directly reinforcing the border would easily arouse the enemy's suspicion. By creating a "war" with Burma and then reinforcing the border with Burma, India would be misled into believing that the Indian army's target was Burma, thus reducing their vigilance. Of course, Burma had always been restless; a timely warning to them, letting them know who the true hegemon of this continent was, was also necessary.

"By my decree, continue to send 10,000 Guizhou soldiers and 10,000 Yunnan soldiers into Burma; order the Sichuan Admiral Jiancun Jiangqu and the Guangxi Admiral Zheng Guoyin to each lead 20,000 troops into Burma; the entire army shall assemble at Mengyang; order Alatan Cang to inflict heavy damage on the Burmese army in the shortest possible time, forcing the Burmese king to cede territory and sue for peace, and then march west to attack India; order the Ü-Tsang Admiral Batu Mengke and the Bhutanese General Dunzhu Norbu to prepare for the southern expedition to India."

The thought that history would once again record his glorious military achievements filled the Great Khan with ambition, and he picked up his pen to compose a poem for his trusted and favored minister, Alatan Cang:
Hearing of the Western Expeditionary Army's Victory over Mengyang

Unparalleled in its towering mountains and majestic peaks,
Ashamed to compete with the mighty warriors.

Divine soldiers descend from the heavens, embodying the spirit of men.
Horns sounded and banners fluttered.

The general swung his sword and beheaded the enemy chieftain.
The Khan took up his pen and wrote the article.

Wen Tao, martial arts, and brave men do things.

Triumphant songs resound, the nation's reign is long.

"Bang!" Inside the Ava Palace, King Naravane of Burma smashed a jade cup on his desk in a fit of rage. "Aung Na Win is incompetent! He deserves to die!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. How do you intend to reply to the letter written to you by the Governor of Wei?" asked the old minister, the Marquis of Pagan.

Narovara scoffed, “That governor of Wei is both shameless and cunning. He claims he only helped Siqi recover his ancestral lands and doesn’t want to be enemies with Burma. He says if we acknowledge Mengyang as belonging to David, the Wei army can withdraw from Mubang. Humph! This is like stealing a hundred copper coins and then pretending to return fifty. He’s a robber trying to be a good person!” “Your Majesty is wise. That governor of Wei clearly has ill intentions. We should take advantage of the Wei army’s unstable foothold and reclaim Mengyang,” the favored minister, Bie Daiyun, speculated on the emperor’s intentions and advocated a hardline stance against Wei.

"Your Majesty, our country is beset by internal and external troubles, and it is truly not advisable to wage war against Wei!" the Marquis of Pagan said urgently.

Naravara knew what he meant by "internal and external troubles." During the reign of his uncle, King Pindali, the country was ruled tyrannically; officials at all levels were greedy and levied exorbitant taxes, leading to an increasing number of Ahmedans and Atai becoming slaves. The royal family's control over the population dwindled, weakening its rule. Later, his father, King Biye (Mangbai), killed his uncle and seized power. Because his accession was illegitimate, he indulged the officials and nobles who supported him, further exacerbating corruption. As the number of Ahmedans fled, the country's strength declined rapidly. His predecessor, King Mangyungri, had led an army of 300,000 in a three-pronged invasion of Yunnan, but now, even with the entire nation's military might, Myanmar could only muster a few hundred thousand troops.

He inherited a mess: Siamese invasion, Mon rebellion, Anglo-Dutch invasion, and the Arakan Dynasty eyeing the country covetously. Faced with this unfavorable situation, he internally rectified official corruption and used both suppression and appeasement to quell the Mon rebellion in the Patuma region. Externally, he personally led troops to stop the Siamese King Narai's invasion of Lanna, thus maintaining domestic political stability.

Although Myanmar's national strength has recovered somewhat after years of hard work, I have only been on the throne for a little over three years, and the country is far from its peak. Faced with a powerful neighbor, I can only endure. This is why, when the Emperor of Wei sent envoys to Ava to criticize Myanmar for not paying tribute for a long time, I immediately apologized and sent a delegation to Dadu to present a letter of submission. As long as the foundation of the nation is not touched, losing some face is nothing. But now, the Wei army has invaded Myanmar's territory. Land is the foundation of a nation! This concerns the fate of the country, and I cannot back down!

"The Emperor of Wei has already put a knife to our throats. Despite internal and external troubles, we have no choice but to fight!" Naravalo's voice was not loud, but it was unusually firm.

“This old minister has a question: If the Wei army’s target was us, why didn’t they go straight to Ava after capturing Mubang along the Ava River? Instead, they feigned an attack and turned towards Mengyang, which is farther away from Ava. What is the reason for this?” Min Dong, an official of the Rudao (Privy Council, the institution responsible for the administration and justice of the country), asked.

As the old saying goes, experience is the best teacher. After listening to the old minister's words, Naravaro fell into deep thought. After a long while, he spoke: "Are you saying that the Wei army doesn't want Mubang, but only Mengyang? What do they want Mengyang for? Is it because they're after the Mughal Empire? I heard that the Mughal 'Alamgir (the World Conqueror)' is very arrogant. He beat the Wei envoys sent to Delhi out of the city with sticks. Could it be that the Wei emperor can't swallow this insult and wants to use Mengyang as a base to attack the Mughal Empire?"

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Whatever the true purpose of the Guards, His Majesty should ally with Delhi,” Mindon continued.

“You are right. I will send an envoy to Delhi immediately,” Narovara said, adopting the old minister’s advice. He then scanned the assembled officials with a sharp look in his eyes. “The Wei army has already come knocking on our door. We cannot place our hopes on the help of other countries. We must rely on ourselves to recover Mengyang!”

The king displayed decisive ruthlessness, appointing the veteran general Nyan Win as Grand General and personally leading an army of 50,000 from Ava to the Grand Duchy, preparing to march north along the Irrawaddy River to Jiangtou City; he ordered Siyya (Vice-King) Soni to lead 50,000 troops from Mubang to join the army in the Grand Duchy; he ordered Adayun and Mangwa to lead their armies to confront the guards of Mubang; he ordered Mindon to remain in Ava; and he ordered Sili and Mangxiao to gather provisions and supplies in the Mengmi region to support the army's operations. (End of Chapter)